11.28.2009

We’ve just returned from our annual Thanksgiving tour of the southeast part of our state ...

It was a good trip – aside from Phoebe’s temper tantrum on Thursday night because we tried giving her a different cup than the one she’s used to, some familial burdens hanging over our heads and the typical stresses of holiday gatherings ...

After all, it seemed unfinished if I didn’t come up with a list of some things I’m thankful for this year. Everybody else is doing it, so why shouldn’t I?

… Phoebe. And the joy she brings to our lives every day. Watching her talk and play with our grandmothers, aunts and uncles, as well as our parents, this weekend was priceless.

… The unconditional love and support of Kates, our families and our closest friends.

… Seeing so many of my friends having healthy, happy children and growing families.

… My mother’s cooking.

… “A Night At the Museum,” which gave me the good dose of comedy and distraction I needed on Thursday night.

I watched the act from bed, and regret that his performance was the last image I saw before going to sleep. Ugh. … I thought Lambert’s singing – more accurately it was screaming – was awful, and it lowered my desire to get his debut disc even farther.

The other stuff Lambert did … All I could think was Wow. How are they able to show this on TV?

And, surprisingly, “NCIS: Los Angeles.” … Traditionally, I can’t stand to watch any television shows having to do with crime. “CSI,” “Law & Order,” “The Mentalist” – they make me crazy … But I’ve got an old friend on NCIS this season: Adam Jamal Craig. To see him doing his thing on network television and working with such a talented cast has become one of the highlights of my Tuesday nights.

Go Adam.

* * *

This American Express commercial is one of the most beautiful things I've seen ...

11.16.2009

We have a 19-month-old now … who loves to see how loud her voice can go, bust out a waterfall of tears when she doesn't get what she wants, and greet the neighbor's dog every time we leave the house with a loud "Hi dogeeee!"

Oh, how she loooooves to color. If Kates and I really need to keep Phoebe occupied, and have her occupied for a lengthy time, we’ve discovered Phoebe and a box of crayons is the best solution. She can stand at the coffee table for long periods taking delight in taking crayons out of the box and putting them back in, looking at the colors and dragging them across a sheet of paper. … On the other side, though, some of the biggest tantrums we’ve had to endure so far have come at the moment we have to take those crayons away.

She’s learning shapes. … and get this: The one she loves to say most – octagon. As opposed to the more common circle or square, yes, Phoebe knows octagon. “Octagai! Octagai! Octagai!” she says as she bounces around the room.

One of Phoebe’s favorite pastimes these days – if she doesn't have access to the crayons – is stacking her blocks and then pushing them and watching the stack fall …

Her interest in books continues. It’s not uncommon for her to plunk herself down in front of one of our book shelves, pull out a book and begin flipping through it. Or she’ll pick out a book and bring it to Kates or I in hopes that we’ll stop whatever we’re doing and read it to her – which we usually do. Her favorite books continue to be “Good Night Moon” and “Skippy Jon Jones,” along with a big “Sesame Street” book with words and numbers.

That interest in “Sesame Street” has only gotten deeper, too – which gets a big thumbs-up from me, not only because I remain a big fan in adulthood, but those “Baby Einstein” DVDs drive me crazy. At least I can enjoy “Sesame Street” with her … Phoebe adores Ernie and Abby and Elmo. She has an Abby bowl she asks to eat from every night at supper; she pines for her Ernie coloring book (Really, it’s a coloring book with all “Sesame Street” scenes and characters, but Phoebe calls it “Ernie.”), and the other day when we were watching one of the new “Sesame” episodes (it was about time … we were so tired of the reruns), Phoebe’s eyes nearly exploded out of her head when “Elmo’s World” began. Phoebe shot straight up from her seat, pointed to the TV and shouted, “ELMO!”

11.15.2009

Kates and I watched the episode in horror this afternoon. It was awful ... I couldn't seem to reach for the remote fast enough as we quickly tired of almost every sketch and hit the fast-forward button ...

Kates and I got around to watching the season finale of our new favorite show, "Mad Men" last night ... Our Sunday nights won't be the same for awhile, knowing our DVR isn't recording the trials of the Draper family and the Sterling-Cooper advertising agency ...

The last weeks' episodes have been excellent television ...

The Oct. 25 episode was arguably the best we’d seen to that point in our short tenure of watching.

January Jones stole every scene she was in, and nailed the episode with her death glares at Don (Have I mentioned how excited I am that she's hosting SNL this weekend!?). The episode was proof of how and why this show has cleaned up at the Emmy Awards the last couple years.

And while the thought-provoking endings can sometimes be confounding, how could you not love the ending of that Oct. 25 episode!? With Don and Betty having just had it out, secrets having been spilled and their marriage on the verge of imploding, they take the kids trick-or-treating. A neighbor treats the kids, then looks at Don and asks, “And who are you supposed to be?” … Fade to black. End of episode. So good!

With the season beginning in the spring of 1963, anyone who watched the show was eager to see how the writers would handle President Kennedy's assassination ... We got our answers in the Nov. 1 episode, and it was done wonderfully. In it, we got the tragic weekend in Dallas playing as a backdrop to Don and Betty’s faltering marriage and the spectacle of Roger’s daughter’s ill-timed wedding.

Don and Betty. You never know who to feel more sorry for ... Every time Don cheats or does something to have us sympathizing with Betty, she does something to swing us right back in Don's corner ...

The whole story line proceeded with such zip and adrenaline, full of what felt like both brilliant surprises and a wonderful sense of inevitability as each piece of the puzzle fell into place ... (more)

… The shot of the ol’ gang back together again, standing around a table in the darkened Sterling-Copper office on a Sunday and plotting to steal whatever they could get their hands on was priceless.

While every episode had its moments, we got more laugh-out-loud lines in the finale than there were in the entire season ...

Peggy denying Roger a cup of coffee was priceless, but my favorite came the morning after Don and crew had purged the offices. Part of the plan had been for Lane to fire them, thus allowing the gang to spend a weekend gathering everything they wanted on their way out. So when Lane arrived at the office on Monday and the secretaries were crying "We've been robbed!" he knew exactly what was coming. He answered a call from his furious boss in London -- who promptly fired him, too -- and replied jubilantly, "Very good. Happy Christmas!''

11.10.2009

Kates and I got around to watching last weekend’s Saturday Night Live last night, which is a record turnaround for this season. Considering the bad buzz and awfulness of the episodes this season, it’s taken us at least a week to watch other episodes …

But finally -- finally! -- we got an SNL over the weekend that had more than one or two sketches worth watching. And a host we actually cared to see (Megan Fox!? Gerard Butler!? Seriously!?) … Taylor Swift turned in a fine appearance last weekend, and I'd like to think that was only a warm-up for another great one next weekend -- Mad Men’s January Jones will host and the Black Eyed Peas will perform. Aw yeah!

But the thing that put me over the top – dare I admit this – was Taylor's Oprah appearance a few weeks ago ... I was flipping through the TV channels one day when I stumbled on it and caught this 11-year-old girl, who happened to be a huge fan of Taylor's, and Oprah hooked her up for an exclusive interview with the country star. I was charmed by how sweet Taylor was with the young interviewer, and I was equally taken by Taylor's openness and wit and the drive she showed during her conversation with Oprah. For all her success and the attention she garners, it appears it's hardly changed her from her roots as a simple country girl. (And by the way, this surprise for a pair of twin girls was classic! ...)

I loved that Taylor showed off some strong acting chops and that she held nothing back, doing excellent impressions of Kate Gosselin and Shakira …

Best of all was her hilarious and adorable “Monologue” song – which I was repeating the rest of the night (“ … In my Mono-logue … La la la …” ), and her public service announcement for T.R.A.A.A.P.D. (That’s Teens Raising Awareness About Awful Parents Drivers).

Fights may have been infrequent, but tempers often flared as deadlines loomed and reporters sweated over just the right word, usually under the baleful eye of an editor whose own deadline was bearing down.

That's how I felt last night when I returned from covering an event and asked my editor how much time I had. 15 minutes he said ... The sweat started sprouting from my veins.

The newsroom wasn't just a workplace. It was a rendezvous point for renegades from the ordered life who, nevertheless, were compelled to perform under fire. To create on demand is a contradictory skill. To do so artfully is not usually a function of charm.

But I also predicted the Phillies would win the World Series in seven games. That part I got wrong. And never posted for the record on this blog. But it’s true.

I never got around to posting my (organized) thoughts on this blog as the games were being played … But as always, I was taking notes on the side. So here I present my “World Series Diary” from some of the raw, unfinished notes I took …

Which is, really, the essence of my blogging anyway …

GAME 1As the World Series approached, and the buzz got louder, an interesting thing happened -- I started getting really excited.

That's interesting because I've written off 2009 as arguably the most un-interesting and least memorable season of my baseball-loving life. On top of that, I have little love for the Yankees, and I have little interest in the Phillies -- a team that, in recent years, I've found to be dull and boring. (See: 2008 Postseason ... Oh, how I miss 1993.)

Then there's Kates, who said while we watched Game 1, "I don't like either of these teams. I want them both to lose."

And yet, somewhere along the way, I put my biases aside and began paying attention to just how good and sound these two teams are ... The Phillies lack the star power of the glittery Yankees and they go about their business fairly quietly, but they can play -- really well.

Both teams seem so good and so evenly matched that there's no way I can't see this series going seven games.

I thought Game 1 was a gem. Cliff Lee was masterful and the two plays he made on the mound -- fielding a come-backer behind his back and non-chalantly catching a fly ball -- were images to remember.

GAME 5With more and more of the players I idolized as a youth becoming just a passing memory – and being snuffed out by steroids accusations – I’ve begun to consider Chase Utley one of my new favorites. And this year’s World Series has pretty much sealed that.

When he hit the three-run homer to put the Phils ahead in Game 5, I shot off the couch, arms in the air and shouting “Chase does it again!” Then I watched it sail into the seats – the identical right-center spot where it seems every one of his postseason hits have landed this year – and pumped my fists. Kates and I remarked about the number of big home runs he’s had … to the point that, in the eighth inning when Kates and I had moved to separate rooms, I scurried upstairs to tell her Chase hit another one; Kates rolled her eyes in amusement. By the time I returned to watching the game a few minutes later, I half expected Joe Buck and Tim McCarver to announce Utley had hit a third home run in the time I was away.

Speaking of Buck and McCarver, usually I enjoy their commentary and shrug off the annual criticism of their styles. This year, McCarver has goofed so many statements, I can hardly stand listening to him anymore ...

GAME 6Going in, I had high hopes of the Phillies forcing a Game 7. The Yankees can’t possibly win with a three-man rotation, I said. The Phillies are going to jump on their tired arms, and the Phils have Pedro going tonight.

I watched the ninth from bed, constantly dozing off and having to jerk my eyes open every couple minutes so I didn’t miss the finale … My eyes were closed again when Mariano Rivera got Shane Victorino to ground out for the final out, but Joe Buck’s booming narrative jerked me awake in time to see Mark Teixeira catch the throw and the Yankees beginning their victory dance on the infield.

It’s a little painful for me to admit this, as much as I would’ve liked to see the Phillies win, but I really did like this Yankees team …

Sure, the management still doled out millions to marquee players, but for the first time in years, this year’s additions actually brought some character and class to the team. This year’s group reminded me more of those admirable teams in the late ‘90s with guys like Scott Brosius and Paul O’Neil than the train wrecks of this decade that included overpaid, baggage-toting guys like Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Kevin Brown.

It's been so long since I've seen a movie in a theater, I was looking for a seat belt when I took my seat. After the usual pre-show trailers, I buckled down for the show ...

(... About the trailers, nothing extremely enticing. Although there was a semi-interesting one for a Hugh Grant/Sarah Jessica Parker romantic comedy, "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" ... The film depicts an estranged couple who gets moved to rural Wyoming as part of a witness-relocation program. In one funny bit, a woman dressed as a hunter steps out and cocks a shotgun, to which Sarah Jessica Parker's character deadpans, "Oh my God, it's Sarah Palin." I'm willing to bet, though, that it's your everyday Hugh Grant flick and all the truly funny moments went into that trailer.)

A lump settled in my throat during the opening scroll of "This Is It."... Man, I hope this is good. Please don't let this make me cringe, I thought.

But the moment the beat started popping for "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," a smile broke over my face. My foot started tapping and it barely stopped the rest of the way.

I'd read a few reviews of the film, but I still wasn't sure what to expect today. I knew the film was taken from footage of tour rehearsals, but I wasn't sure whether to expect a concert-style film loaded with Michael and company performing whole songs in full costume just as they would have in their London shows -- only without the screaming fans. Or would the film be a giant montage of footage, music bits and interviews cobbled together in a timeline to his June death?

Actually, it turned out to be everything I had imagined and hoped it would be: The perfect balance of Michael and company performing entire songs mixed with backstage footage of the planning, technical work, teaching moments and preparation that was going into the shows.

The whole film shows Jackson in a way the public has rarely, if ever, seen him. From moments of him tutoring his young dancers to encouraging a guitarist to sieze "her moment" on one of her solos, to critiquing his backing musicians. The film shows an extremely human and caring side of Michael Jackson, but it also shows the creative psyche of a man who was in charge, precise and determined to be the best on every turn of his shows.

He knew exactly what he wanted and he wasn't afraid to let director Kenny Ortega, the sound mixers or the musicians know it. At a couple points in the film, Jackson scolds the musicians to watch for his cues, but then reminds them "It's all for love." Multiple scenes show Ortega giving Jackson the last word on film and dance sequences.

Other points in the film show the childish wonder inside Jackson, like when he stepped onto a cherry picker for "Beat It." Jackson wanted to rehearse with the music right away, but Ortega only wanted Jackson to get a feel for the contraption and had to talk him out of rehearsing with the music "for safety."

For two hours, I was wishing I could have been anyone on that stage with him. A dancer, a background singer, that rad girl rocking on her guitar, didn't matter. It looked like they were having so much fun! You knew from their giddy smiles and adoring eyes what an amazing experience and honor those rehearsals must have been for each of them.

And oh, the sets and effects. There were fireworks exploding from the stage. Jackson, dressed in his classic white suit, was worked into some vintage film footage as part of "Smooth Criminal." One of my favorites was the industrial skeleton of a building the dancers descended from during "The Way You Make Me Feel."

Given that "The Way You Make Me Feel" is my favorite MJ song, I could have predicted that performance might also be one of my favorites in the film. ... The segment opened with Jackson working with a keyboardist on a jazzy intro to the song. Jackson dances to the keyboard and nitpicks on the arrangement. "Let it simmer," he says. A debate continues until the keyboardist tells Jackson he's got to be clear with the musicians about what he wants from them. Jackson needs to tell them if he wants "a little more booty," the keyboardist says, causing Jackson to fall into laughter. "A little more booty, I like that," he laughs. ... Moments later they perform "The Way You Make Me Feel." The music, the dancing, Jackson's voice -- it all had me smiling again.

I got my first real bout of chills and misty eyes when a colorful psychadelic backdrop appeared on the stage with the J5 logo, and Jackson started doing the "I Want You Back" routine with his dancers ... The joy of that was quickly squelched, however, when Jackson lost some of the lyrics and then berated the crew because he couldn't hear through his earpiece; it felt like someone was punching him in the ear, he said. Ortega noted it, the music resumed with a medley of "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There," and I got the chills again. The music also featured accompanying footage of Jackson's childhood days with the Jackson Five.

I got bigger chills during Jackson's calls to save our environment and his performance of "Earth Song." But my misty eyes and chills didn't reach full force until the film's "Man In The Mirror" finale.

As I drove home, nothing on the radio compared. I wanted more Michael. ... I got home and wasted little time putting on my "Thriller" album.